Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday named KL Rahul as their impact player in the match against Punjab Kings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday.

Interestingly, Rahul featured in the inaugural match for LSG, scoring 58 runs against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. However, stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran hinted that the decision was taken keeping the wicketkeeper batter”s workload management in mind since he is returning after an injury.

“KL is coming back from injury and we”re looking to give him a break in such a long tournament, but he”ll play as an impact player today,” Pooran said.

Incidentally, Rahul was advised to drop his wicketkeeping gloves in the initial phase of the lucrative tournament. The wicketkeeper-batter was struggling with pain in the right quadriceps after the Hyderabad Test. He was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the series.

“He is fit and can join the IPL franchise in the coming days. He suffered pain in the quadriceps and got an injection too. He went through his rehabilitation and the NCA has now declared him fit. However, he has been advised not to take on the wicket-keeping role immediately,” a source in the Indian board told the Indian Express.

As per unconfirmed reports, Rahul was in London, consulting a specialist, during the series against England. His pain stemmed from the right quadriceps for which he underwent surgery last year. In the final phase of his recovery, Rahul faced some stiffness and the BCCI wasn’t ready to risk him before he recovers fully in the T20 World Cup year.